I can't confirm this but I am fairly sure that Taiwan universities will require you have to have an MA in something that is English or Applied Linguistics related if you want to teach "oral English". Obviously if you have an MA in Biology or something that is related to what you would teach, then it makes sense that they'd accept you. However, if you are referring to English teaching then a quick browse of job boards in the past has shown that you need to have an MA in English or AL. I could be wrong, so if anyone else can shed some light on this then by all means go for it.

Creztor; there's really no need for anyone to post threads on these or any other questions pertaining to Taiwan. Just PM JZ'er directly, after all everyone else is always wrong and he is always right - why waste your time offering an opinion?

Creztor; there's really no need for anyone to post threads on these or any other questions pertaining to Taiwan. Just PM JZ'er directly, after all everyone else is always wrong and he is always right - why waste your time offering an opinion?

I'm sure he'll chime in soon...

Ok, I will chime in. Everything creztor said is correct. How can I argue with you when creztor actually gives correct information?

BTW - this is an honest question: I've never really looked at teaching in Uni's over here so know nothing about it. I imagine that the pay would be better than public schools and tax would be comparable (i.e nil) and you would probably spend less hours in class per week?

I think romanworld's point is that if someone has an M.A. in Linguistics or TESOL they can earn a better living in other countries. 50,000NT-60,000NT to work at a university in Taiwan is nothing.

JZer hits the nail right on the head. Salaries are pitifully low in the universities in Taiwan. Newbies think that Taiwan is Third World and the cost of living is very low, but this is a mistake. The issue is that many westerners that live in Taiwan want a Western lifestyle while resident there. This means that rents can be expensive, especially if you're living in foreign ghettoes like Tienmu, and trips to Western-style supermarkers can also be pricey.

Another reason to look before you leap is that the management structure is biased towards Taiwanese profs. Westerners are often overlooked when it comes to promotion for example. A friend of mine used to work at Ming Chuan University, and ranted and raved all the time about how he'd published numerous articles and attended numerous conferences, but his efforts at moving up the academic ladder were constantly stymied.

A final reason to be cautious is that these days there are too many academics chasing few too jobs. I read somewhere that there are over 600 Taiwanese Ph.ds teaching in High Schools across Taiwan because there are no jobs in the universities.(The reason for this dire situation is the explosion of new colleges and universities in the 90s, followed by a falling birth rate that has become a critical problem for Taiwan. In fact, the President of Taiwan has just held an emergency Cabinet meeting to discuss ways of tackling this issue.) No wonder then that English Language Centres attached to the universities are asking candidates to hold a qualification in the area that they want to teach. So with a Masters in Social Work, I don't rate your chances. Also, you need to realise that there is much cronyism in Taiwan and most jobs go to people that are known and trusted and are already in the 'system'.

My advice is look elsewhere. The HE sector in Taiwan is in crisis and all indicators suggest that it will get a lot worse . . .

Romanworld, as do others, make some very good points in this thread. The crux though of the debate is Romanworld's point on demand for jobs exceeding supply. This, at least with regards to the OP is critical because now in effect the university has free reign to choose who they want and with what background they want. In other words 5-10 years ago a MA in anything was enough to work in a ELC. Now it must be education or language-centred (the MA). Furthermore, there are moves that have been discussed on this website about ELC's creating language jobs but at staff and not faculty level. This means more hours of remedial language teaching, for less pay, and with no rights. In other words, jobs with a lower status than an earth worm! Notably, these jobs are going to Taiwanese people, not so much foreigners because they are refusing to work for NT40,000 a month. Hence I can truly appreciate the remark about why anyone these days would work at a university in Taiwan.

One point that needs to be carefully considered about working at a university is whether the job holder merely sees it as a job or as a career move. At the end of the day, IMO, someone coming to Taiwan to work in a university as a career choice is making a fundamental error. Being a MA holder is not useful with some years of Taiwanese experience in case you have to move 'back home'. I'd go as far as to say its a negative as blame for this lies in the fact that the education system in colleges and university is, by and large, so poor in quality and so badly run. Where money should be invested in books and learning facilities it is instead channeled into grandiose, back slapping schemes to help prove the university is really a university. As strange as that sounds standards within the classroom doesn't come in the equation! Bottom line, you want to be a university instructor then get used to the idea of teaching maybe 70 uninterested, unmotivated, and uncaring students per class for maybe 15 hours a week.